Acceptance and Acknowledgement
by Fallenbelle2
Summary: Summary: Luckily for him, his wife typically accepted him for who he was, and did not take his failure to keep his promise to accompany her out on a lovely Saturday or notice her beautiful new lingerie personally.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Acceptance

Author: Fallenbelle

Summary: Luckily for him, his wife typically accepted him for who he was, and did not take his failure to keep his promise to accompany her out on a lovely Saturday or notice her beautiful new lingerie personally.

Rating: T/Teen just to be safe

Author Note: Julia's pretty new teagown or robe in 09x01 inspired this. Also: feedback please? I'm not going to improve without it. There may or not be a companion piece soon to follow. Thanks to LoveMondays for the beta.

Warning:Spoilers for 09x01 and probably beyond ahoy!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

* * *

Engrossed in reviewing the military records of Archibald Brooks and Douglas Roper, William had failed to notice the lights being turned down in their suite and Julia's preparations for bed. He had also forgotten that he had promised her an entire day of just the two of them; abandoned (albeit justly) for a lead on the perplexing case of Archibald Brooks. He was quite lost in thought until she had asked him if he were coming to bed, at which he absentmindedly replied "Just a moment."

Luckily for him, his wife typically accepted him for who he was, and did not take his failure to keep his promise to accompany her out on a lovely Saturday or notice her beautiful new lingerie personally. If anything, Julia Ogden had learned that William's tendency to lose himself in a case and therefore practically render him obtuse to anything else around him was merely a challenge to overcome-hence her beautiful new robe. Despite William's single-mindedness, Julia knew he loved a pretty package and knew that eventually he'd notice her. William also had a tendency to be quite predictable.

As he explained the not so coincidental coincidence, Julia listened and offered her thoughts and asked appropriate questions while moving ever so subtly towards her main goal for the evening-seducing her husband. By the time their conversation had reached its natural end a few minutes later, Julia had draped herself over the arm of the chair and around William, subtly forcing him to eventually notice her presence.

Laying the papers down on the table in front of him, he turned his attention towards his wife, immediately noticing her elegant new robe. Running his finger along the edge of her sleeve, she could tell that he was verifying his initial hunch that it was silk and that it must have cost a pretty penny indeed. Still, she knew he found it to be quite a beautiful piece and she noted how his concern over the cost of such a garment soon turned to admiration of the blue silk with its embroidered violets along the sleeves and bodice.

As he looked up and down, taking in the entire package, he realized that the woman who wore it (along with his rings), was trying to get his attention. William belatedly comprehended that he'd been neglecting his beloved, finally picking up on her subtle seduction attempt.

"A lovely robe, Mrs. Murdoch. Is that new?" he asked, moving his hand up her arm to trace the hem around her collarbone. She shivered in response as she leaned into him yet more.

"Yes, I needed something to do this afternoon while you were busy and some shopping seemed like just the thing to occupy my time. I saw this and simply had to buy it. I'm pleased you like it," she replied, playing with the hairs on the back of his neck.

"Its quite pleasing indeed. But tell me, there doesn't seem to be much under this robe. If I were to investigate, would I find something most scandalous, Doctor?" he wondered aloud as his fingers slid down the center part, trailing down to her lap, parting the garment around her thighs as her breath hitched in response to the sensations of his fingers and the silk on her sensitive inner thigh. "Why there's nothing at all, Doctor. What explanation do you have for such forward behavior?" he murmured in her ear as he pulled her fully into his lap.

"Well, Detective, I wanted to surprise my husband. Do you think this will catch his attention?" she asked in response.

"I can't see how you could possibly fail in that endeavor, Doctor. Particularly with such a risqué ensemble, it seems you will be quite successful," he answered as he slipped the silk off her shoulders with her help.

* * *

Lying next to one another, still entwined, Julia was not surprised (but perhaps a little disappointed) when basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking, she noticed that William had already retreated back into his mind and undoubtedly upon the case again. Once upon a time, she may have gotten upset at him, but now quietly accepted that this was the way he was. Even if it did sting a bit as she turned her back to him avoid displaying to him any signs of such.

Besides this was a case that involved George, and despite her frustration that she had failed to fully distract him for the rest of the evening, she couldn't deny that it was for a just cause.

Disappointedly, she settled in to sleep, denied the romantic evening she had been looking forward to all week.

* * *

Of course it didn't help that a couple of days later, William's tendency to be all consumed in a case nearly got him killed. Again. Stitching the back of his head up, she chided him like a mother scolding her son for some act of foolishness. He attempted to impress her or at the very least absolve himself of blame in his latest careless endeavor, but his words were in vain. She was far too busy being upset with him for failing to realize that his obtuseness could have gotten himself killed. Again.

Would the man ever learn from his mistakes? Julia feared that he wouldn't, and one of these days, even God's protection wouldn't be enough to save the man from one of his irrational acts.

Even as he hurriedly slipped his jacket and hat back on to return to work, he failed to notice her disquiet and as soon as he had left their suite, she sank onto the very same chair he'd been sitting on moments before and briefly cried before getting a hold of herself, reminding herself of who she had married.

For the rest of the day she was at a loss, and while she knew that she couldn't live without him, she wasn't sure that she could live with him either.

* * *

That night, sensing (correctly) that she was upset, he came home with a gorgeous bouquet of roses, chocolates from her favorite patisserie and even rubbed her feet as he talked about the latest developments in the case.

Of course, one look at the hopeful and apologetic look on his face, she realized (again) that she just couldn't stay mad at him. So when he called her in to help the next day on examining mold and other trace evidence, she knew that there was no choice-so long as he was alive, she'd be by his side, working with him during the day and loving him at night.

This was her (happy) fate, and one that she accepted (albeit with reservations). But as she stared at him across a table as they both pronounced that the mold was from Roquefort cheese and that the grease was from a bicycle simultaneously, she knew life with William was superior to anything else she had ever experienced and that any other arrangement was unacceptable.


	2. Chapter 2

Spoilers Ahoy for 09x02

Unbeta'd-all mistakes mine alone.

* * *

A couple of weeks later, it turned out that Julia wasn't the only member of the household to struggle with coming to terms with their partner's propensity to put themselves in harm's way. Much to the Inspector's chagrin (as well as William's own if he had to be quite honest), Julia had hired Mr. Twain to speak on women's suffrage. While the Inspector had wanted the man out of town just to placate the members of the Empire Club and ultimately, his own wife), William was anxious at what danger his wife had placed herself in (yet again) by associating with such a provocative man.

It's not that he disagreed with the man on his views of suffrage (he shared them as a matter of fact), but why did Julia insist on continually putting herself in harm's way? He agreed with Julia's work to obtain the vote and greater rights for women, but was it so much to ask for a brief respite from worrying about her safety?

Thus, the big moment came for Mr. Twain's speech and once again, Julia had mistakenly dismissed his concerns about her safety as control and refused to heed his pleas.

Apparently he sounded like a phonograph that was stuck, and that his concern was tiresome as well. Said she was going to remain on stage during Mr. Twain's speech regardless of his wishes, and once again, would not shy from controversy just because the city would be in arms.

George had meant well when he had tried to support him by reminding her that whomever was targeting Mr. Twain was a poor shot, but this had only served to make his beautiful but stubborn, impulsive bride dig her heels in all the more.

Damn her obstinacy!

Later as he sat as his desk completing the paperwork on how Mr. Benson was the intended target as opposed to Mr. Clemons/Twain, William pulled the final page of the report out of his typewriter and stared at the completed stack. After his horror at someone other than Mr. Twain being shot (again) and the guilty relief that it wasn't his wife and the initial shock wore off, anger set in. Anger that his concerns had been so summarily dismissed once more and not to mention that perhaps he'd been so distracted and concerned for her safety that he had possibly missed who the intended target had actually been: Mr. Benson.

That inability to give the case his undivided attention had resulted in a man's death that needn't have happened. It seems that this was just yet another way in which marriage had changed him; now he fully understood what the Apostle Paul's letter to the church in Corinth was truly about: a single man could not only serve the Lord wholeheartedly, but he could also focus solely on his career as well. When he married (or at the very least became bound to Julia in both heart and soul), he lost the ability to focus solely on his job and matters of faith. He became concerned for her, and he was now responsible for her safety and happiness, and that this was sometimes at odds with his faith and career. His interests became divided, and although he was infinitely happier (at least most of the time), his responsibilities had increased and his life was now more complicated. There was just no getting around it.

Pushing his chair away from his desk in frustration, he then contemplated how his return to their hotel suite was going to go as he paced about his office. He hated it when Julia was upset with him, but he was just as angry with her; perhaps even more than she was with him. She undoubtedly felt that he was trying to control her just as Darcy had, but he just wanted her safe. He was obviously failing at conveying that to her, and as expressing himself verbally to her had never been a strong suit; he didn't know how to get that point across to her.

Thus, he had simply just looked at her reproachfully after the shooting. At least she had at least had the decency to look guilty in response. Admittedly, he had said nothing (coward that he was, and so afraid of her anger), but he felt his look had said it all.

At least he hoped it had. He sincerely doubted that it did however. Of course, she'd said nothing either, just guiltily skulked off. As usual, their stellar job of communicating had led them to an impasse. Again. Squaring his shoulders in anticipation for the fireworks soon to follow, he grabbed his coat and hat and left the station.

But rather than ride his bicycle straight home, he rode around the park for over an hour while he contemplated what it was he was going to say.

It never came to him.

* * *

Walking into the suite late in the evening, he exhaled in relief as he realized that Julia had already retired for the night. The part of him that loved her madly unfailingly demanded that he join her in bed and fostered a hope that they could skip the argument and proceed directly to the part where they made up with one another via a physical demonstration of their affections.

While the unflinchingly male part of him thought this was a fine idea, his more rational side wanted to remain angry at her (which was actually quite irrational in a multitude of ways), and giving into this contradictory side, he removed and hung up his hat and jacket and went over to his small work bench where he tinkered with various ideas that may or may not be of use to him in his work and as he sat down, his eyes fell upon a cardiac monitor he'd been tinkering with for Julia.

A cardiac monitor and matters of the heart: the irony was not lost on him as he softly laughed to himself. It seems he'd been half wrong when he told Mr. Twain that the two main motives for murder were love and money. He'd assumed that it was money, but it had actually been love and jealousy. Clarence Eldridge had shot Benson in a fit of rage and jealousy because his wife had been sleeping with the younger man.

While William didn't condone murder, he had still felt for Eldridge and couldn't exactly fault the man for doing what he did. If he had discovered that Julia had been untrue to him, he knew himself capable of at least contemplating a similar action so complete was his helplessness at his feelings for her.

Picking up the device with one hand and his pouch of tools with the other, he sat about fine-tuning the monitor as he heard the doors to their bedroom being flung open.

Apparently, she hadn't been asleep after all.

Taking a deep breath, but deciding not to turn around or acknowledge her until she spoke, he continued to work on the monitor, not responding to her actions.

"Damn you, William Murdoch! At least you could have the decency to let me know you'd be home so late, or are you so upset that I won't be the good little wife that I don't merit such courtesies?" she spat at him.

Sighing and knowing that they needed to hash this out whether or not he was ready for it, William finally acknowledged her presence, but didn't turn around; continuing to work on the cardiac device.

The irony that it could measure his own heart at present and announce it's excited activity to the world just as the pneumograph had all those years earlier was not lost on him. Still, he took a deep breath to calm himself and remain relaxed at her accusations.

"Come now, Julia. I have never made such demands of you, and I don't know why you accuse me of such now. You know that's not the issue," William calmly replied, remaining seated with his back turned to her.

"Then why order me around, William? In front of George no less! Demonstrating your dominance for the men?" Julia asked.

Snorting, he laughed at the contradiction. If only she knew that the rumors and innuendo of her dominance over him were station house staples. All of the men of Station House #4 knew that Dr. Ogden wore the pants in their relationship, and truthfully, William was typically fine with it.

Throwing his tool down in anger, he pushed back from his bench and stood up, noticing that she was wearing her new, blue silk robe with the violets embroidered on it and this time, she did nothing to hide the fact that she wore nothing beneath it, the belt loosely tied and the garment hanging tantalizingly open; revealing her body to his gaze.

"If only you knew how incorrect you are, Julia. That was no exercise in dominance, but merely worry for your safety, which I have repeatedly told you is my utmost concern," William replied, slowly walking towards her.

"I've told you before that I don't need your protection. I can take care of myself," she replied as she sensed that there was something different about William as he approached her. He knew that Julia wasn't overly familiar with this darker, angry side of him as she backed away from him, her back hitting the wall and he noted a brief look of fear cross her face before she regained control.

But why was she concerned? Surely she knew that he would never hurt her or force her in any way.

With a smirk on his face, William leaned in, both of his hands on the wall, bracketing her head but careful not to touch her. "Because Julia, that's not something I can help. In my overwhelming love for you, I have no choice but to comply with this directive if only for the selfish fact that I know that if anything were to happen to you, it would be my total destruction so complete your hold is over me. It's imperative that I keep you safe and happy, and I intend to do whatever is necessary to achieve both of those goals," he replied as he placed his hands on her face, holding her in place for his delectation as he fervently kissed her.

Truth be told, William was expecting a slap or some other reproach, but he just couldn't help himself, his dark thoughts and anger had asserted themselves and demanded action.

If Julia was unnerved at William's uncharacteristic assertiveness, she didn't show it as she angled her head so that she could thrust out her neck and chest to better offer herself to him in response.

As he untied the knot in her belt and slipped the robe off her shoulders, she fumbled with the fly on his trousers. Moving his hands to her bottom, he lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to their favorite table; the piece that was just the perfect height for both of them…

* * *

Later as they lay in bed, in her arms, head on her chest and face half buried in her neck, and his hand in her curls massaging her scalp as Julia blissfully hummed in both pleasure and contentment.

He hated to disturb their bliss, but he knew something needed to be said; that they needed to speak about the events that preceded their anger at one another which had resulted in the fight that had further resulted in a most intense and pleasurable experience.

"Julia, you must know that I don't seek to control you. My actions-however they appear, are not intended to restrict your freedom but guarantee your safety. If anything were to…" he begun before she placed a finger on his lips, silencing him.

"I know, William. I realize that now. Earlier when we were in the moment, I perceived your concern as a means of control, but I know that wasn't control, but concern. However, you must realize that it's the same for you. When you were skulking around alone in that alley a few weeks ago and you were bludgeoned with a pipe, it scared me as well, William. You haven't changed how you do your job, you haven't realized that you have a wife to come home to and you can't go about recklessly any longer. I was and still am upset with you for that," Julia answered.

William nodded. As usual, he struggled to find the words to express his feelings, but again, Julia silenced him-this time with a kiss-before he could say anything.

"Perhaps it is time that we acknowledge that our feelings are so strong for one another, this is a fact we must learn to live with. Your calling is justice and the truth, mine is greater rights and freedoms for women. Neither of us wants to give that up, so perhaps we need to find a balance between our duties we feel compelled to perform and our responsibilities to one another," Julia finished.

Pondering her words for a moment, William acknowledged she was right, "As usual, you're correct, milady. We're going to have to accept that our love for one another is not safe nor is it convenient. However it is wonderful and I wouldn't accept anything less."

Sitting up in the bed, he beheld the magnificent view that was his wife in all of her natural glory. As usual, the sight delighted and excited him, and a lascivious grin crossed his face as he trailed a finger from her collarbone to her navel-taking delight in the shudder that accompanied his action.

Sitting up and straddling his lap, she wrapped her arms around him. "I dare say, Mr. Murdoch, perhaps I should make you angry more often if this is the result. Maybe you also need to accept that your "darker side" as you call it does not frighten me but rather excites me," she murmured into his ear.

"Then perhaps I can expect you to make me angry more often then, Mrs. Murdoch?" he asked, flipping their position so that she lay beneath him.

"You can count on it, William," she replied with a giggle.

"Very good, Julia. Very good," he answered with a kiss.


End file.
